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Pronunciation varies by accent · noun
(horology) The principal spring of a clockwork mechanism, which drives it by uncoiling..
He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away.
My daughter is the mainspring of my life.
But in the England of Shakespeare’s history plays, the mainspring of the system has broken down.
Use mainspring when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.
Mainspring means (horology) The principal spring of a clockwork mechanism, which drives it by uncoiling..
The closest synonym depends on the sentence and intended sense.
The opposite depends on the specific sense.
He was wise, for he had seen a long succession of mechanical toys arrive to boast and swagger, and by-and-by break their mainsprings and pass away.
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